The month the candidates filed their COCs

This month, the certificates of candidacies were filed. There were hundreds of them, descending upon the Comelec office. We watched and stared and tweeted as they posed for the cameras, smiling, announcing their alliances. We were dismayed and confused, none of us knowing if our country still has a future.

But I didn't notice any of this because

This month, the month the COCs were filed, by some coincidence, was the last month to register as a voter. People rushed to Comelec offices or satellite registration sites, some patient and prepared, others lining up in the wrong queue. And the deadline loomed, and the people scrambled to register.

But I didn't notice any of this because

On COCs filing month, which was voter registration month, it was Halloween also. And the world prepared their costumes and tricks and treats, with hallways decorated like haunted houses or office areas looking like animated films. All so cute and scary and out-of-this world, more than social media could hold, with Halloween costume parties going all-out.

But I didn't notice any of this because

On the COC-filing-voter-registration-deadline-Halloween month, the musical floodgates broke with new songs and videos released by Adele, Justine Bieber, Drake, Gwen Stefani and Ariana Grande. We were engulfed in tears by Hello and Used to Love You, danced to Hotline Bling and Sorry, and was generally confused by the man singing the chorus in Focus.

But I didn't notice any of this because

That month, the COC-filing month, the last month of registration, the Halloween and new music month, was also the month that: Duterte didn't file his certificate of candidacy even though people campaigned outside the Comelec office for him to do so; Khloe and Lamar didn't push through with their divorce for medical decisions when Lamar was hospitalized; Lando raged through the country leaving destruction and floods in the northern regions; a new trailer and premiere dates came out for the new Sherlock special, entitled "The Abonimable Bride"; Miriam announced Bongbong as her running mate; the hashtag #AldubEBTamangPanahon set a new record worldwide with 41 million tweets; the Zola saga captured Twitter imaginations.